Trundling down Farm-to-Market 32 road between San Marcos and Wimberley, a sign shaped like an inverted triangle may grab your attention. In the center, a stylized blue eye surrounds an orb ringed by a disco ball-like band. The image falls somewhere between space age and Masonic. The name on top, Senza Maeso, also offers little clue as to what you’ll find inside. Look more closely, and you’ll see the information you are seeking: a single word—“bar”—nestled deep in the center of the design.
As you approach the building with an emerald exterior, you’ll start to get the full sense of Ryan and Jay Gitman’s “space deco” fantasy—a sumptuous Bondian aesthetic that feels like it’s been beamed in from another time, or another planet. Behind the triangular bar, you’ll see rows of bottles that have the same logo as the sign outside. The mystery deepens, but the answer is at hand. Get seated and you’ll be presented with a small glass of rich brown liquid and a small pale-golden fruit shrouded in a papery calyx on the side. This is a cape gooseberry: the central ingredient in Senza Maeso, the first beverage to be distilled from the fruit native to South America.
Ryan Gitman, a veteran of the Austin drinks industry whose experience includes roles at Stay Gold and Swan Dive, first came across the cape gooseberry nearly a decade ago in his local supermarket and was fascinated by its unique flavor: a tart bright citrus opening with an earthy, bitter finish. As a mixologist, Ryan immediately saw the potential for it in a distilled form. “Fernet and Campari were my initial inspirations, but I wanted to create a primary not secondary cocktail spirit, which meant a higher proof but without sugar added,” he explains. “I drew on my mixology experience to create something versatile but also original, which was a challenge.”
Ryan spent five years experimenting, distilling in mason jars in his closet and sharing test batches with service industry friends, keeping notes of their comments. When COVID hit, he had the opportunity to perfect his recipe with the help of consultant Mark Schilling, formerly of Revolution Spirits, and together with his twin brother Jay, launched the Senza Maeso brand. The final recipe includes cape gooseberry sourced from Peru and Colombia, damiana, and epatzote (other Central American plants) to create “notes of apricot and citrus, with an herbaceous, bitter finish.”
The Gitmans were conscious of the challenges of introducing a completely new drink, having to explain everything from the flavor profile to how to pronounce the name, which translates to “without master” in a mix of Spanish and Italian. “It’s been our biggest uphill climb but it’s also a good problem to have,” Ryan says. “We’re not just another whiskey or tequila trying to differentiate ourselves in a crowded market. We’re a unique product with an original story to share.”
Sharing that story was the impetus behind creating the physical space. “Where better to demonstrate what Senza Maeso is and showcase what can be done with it than in its own taproom?” Jay says. “We knew from the beginning that this would be the plan: to build an inclusive bar with great drinks.” The cocktail menu is divided between sophisticated specialties, frozen drinks, and classic recipes riffed to incorporate Senza Maeso. Original specialties include the “tiki-style” Peggy’s Martian Vacation and the “milk-washed” Blind Science. Senza Maeso also posts easy cocktail recipes on its website, so you’ll know exactly what to do with a bottle at home.
The pair enlisted New York firm 71 Collective, known for its experiential and immersive interior design, to create the space. “Everything has a place and purpose, from the minimalist secret doors to the kinetic art on the walls,” he says. The bathrooms project Carl Sagan’s Cosmos TV show, which aired from 1980 to 1981, on a loop. “I want people to say, ‘Have you seen this bathroom?’ ” Ryan says.
The site in Wimberley, a small town that is quickly growing, was ideally situated for the Gitmans to build their dream space on, as it’s close enough to Austin and San Antonio to bring in curious drinkers. “In Central Texas, people are thirsty for something new,” Ryan says. And in Senza Maeso’s taproom, intrepid drinkers will certainly find it.
